Football's growth drive into China has "hit the headlines over the past couple of years," but now rugby union is also "looking for a blossoming of awareness and investment in the world's most populous nation, where the government has recently embarked on developing domestic sport over the coming decades," according to Bill Wilson of the BBC. Governing body World Rugby is "committed to growing the game in new markets, and promoting the sport" beyond its traditional "comfort zones" of the European and southern hemisphere heavyweights. It is looking for growth in many countries, including Brazil, India and Russia, but it is China where it has "struck it big" -- signing a $100M deal that involves a professional league, university programs and grassroots initiatives. World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper said, "World Rugby's strategic mission is to grow the global rugby family." He added that China is "central to that mission." The new initiative, signed in partnership with Alisports, and the country's rugby football association, will see the former invest $100M over the next 10 years "in an effort to further popularise the game." Alisports is the sports division of e-commerce firm Alibaba, and the money "will be used to establish the first professional leagues for men and women, and national rugby sevens programmes." Tingting Zhang, business development manager of Beijing-based sports marketing firm Yutang Sports, said that rugby union is currently a "niche" sport in China compared with basketball, table tennis and badminton. But she said that it "does have some presence, for example in universities, and that there are opportunities for development." Alisports will launch a China-wide marketing program and "broadcast rugby on its television and digital outlets." So "what's in it for Alibaba and Alisports?" University of Salford Sports Enterprise Professor Simon Chadwick said, "Sport in China is being closely aligned with the entertainment sector. E-commerce and digital companies such as Alibaba, they need content, and sport is a great way of doing that." The sport does "already have a foothold in the country." Chadwick: "The Chinese armed forces have been playing rugby for a number of years. They have believed that rugby is one of the best ways to develop the skills of their personnel, involving as it does strength, teamwork and decision-making." Alongside the army legacy, the wider history of the game in China "includes its relationship with Hong Kong, where British expats played the game for decades prior to the handing over of the territory to the mainland" in '97 (BBC, 11/8).
